How Jesus Reversed the Fall
A bite-sized lesson in doctrine: 1 Concept, 2 Definitions, 3 Passages...
Welcome to a special edition of Theology Thursday!
As we approach Reformation Day, here is your bite-sized lesson in orthodox, Biblical doctrine in 3 simple steps:
ONE concept explained
TWO concise definitions that must be kept distinct
THREE Scripture passages to meditate on
But first, here are some wonderful quotes to tee up the discussion:
“This doctrine (justification) is the head and the cornerstone. It alone begets, nourishes, builds, preserves, and defends the church of God and without it the church of God cannot exist for one hour.”
Martin Luther
“Justification is an act done and passed in an instant in the court of heaven, as soon as the sinner believes in Christ; and not a work carried on by degrees. For if a sinner be not perfectly justified, he is not justified at all.”
Thomas Boston
Justified by faith is he who, excluded from the righteousness of works, grasps the righteousness of Christ through faith, and clothed in it, appears in God’s sight not as a sinner but as a righteous man. Therefore, we explain justification simply as the acceptance with which God receives us into his favor as righteous men. And we say that it consists in the remission of sins and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness.
John Calvin
Concept: Justification and the Garden of Eden
Where did this doctrine all begin? The roots of justification are found in the garden described in Genesis 1-3. After creating Adam and Eve, God placed them in a garden with His law written on their hearts. He gave one distinct command—not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If they obeyed, they would merit eternal life (signified by the tree of life). This is often known as the “Covenant of Works.” Though the term “covenant” isn’t in Genesis 1-3, the concept is present. God’s requirement was perfect obedience, but Adam failed, and because he was our representative (or federal head), all mankind fell in him. How, then, can sinful man be righteous before God? No mere man can both fulfill God’s perfect requirement and bear the eternal penalty for sin on behalf of all. Justice must be satisfied, and the standard must be met. Thankfully, Paul says Adam was a type of Christ (Romans 5:14). Jesus, the second Adam, truly God and truly man, lived the perfect life we couldn’t. He didn’t yield to temptation in the garden but took our place on the cross and rose again from the grave. On this basis, God imputes (or credits) Christ’s perfect righteousness to believers. So God treated Christ as if He lived our sinful life (our sin was imputed to Him) and now treats us as if we lived Christ’s perfect life (His active and passive obedience imputed to us). We are effectively saved by works, just not our own.
Definitions/Distinctions:
Justification: The one, singular act of God’s grace wherein He declares sinners righteous based on Christ’s finished work on the cross, His resurrection, and the righteousness merited during His perfect life. It is not a moral change in us but a verdict—a declaration made about us. It is not a process but received in an instant through the instrument of faith alone.
Sanctification: An act of God’s grace wherein He progressively conforms believers into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, by the renewal and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, causing us to hate our sin, die to it, and live unto Him. This process will not be complete until we die or Christ returns.
Passages:
“Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.”
Romans 5:14
“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’ Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’”
Galatians 3:10–11
“Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”
Romans 5:18–19
Recommended Resource: The Doctrine of Justification by James Buchanan ($4.99 on Kindle!)
